Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 07/20/2026

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5. 1. Environmental Policy Board (EPB) Meeting Date:07/20/2026 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: Information Title: Consider the Natural Resources Aspects of a Minor Plat and Site Plan for Wildlife Research Center, Inc. (Project No. 26-108); Case of Wildlife Research Center, Inc. Purpose/Background: The City has received a Land Use Application from Wildlife Research Center, Inc. (the "Applicant") for a Minor Plat and Site Plan for the property at 14485 Azurite St NW (the "Subject Property"). The City currently owns a vacant parcel east of the Subject Property that the Applicant will be purchasing as part of this project. The Minor Plat will combine the Subject Property and this vacant parcel into a single parcel so that the Applicant can construct both a 36,000 square foot addition to their existing building, as well as a stand-alone storage building that will be 13,500 square feet in size. Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives: Project Overview The Applicant is seeking to combine two parcels into one to accommodate a 36,000 square foot addition to their existing building, as well as construction of a new, detached warehouse building. The Applicant will be purchasing the vacant parcel, which, for all intents and purposes, is 'landlocked' (it is not accessible from Azurite Street and cannot access Sunfish Lake Boulevard because that access is restricted per the Plat known as Registered Land Survey No. 251) from the City. Both parcels are zoned I-1 Light Industrial. The project will also involve another City-owned parcel on the west side of Azurite Street for regional stormwater management purposes. Natural Resources Inventory and Minnesota Land Cover Classification System The City's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) does not identify any native plant communities on either the Subject Property or the vacant parcel. Per the Minnesota Land Cover Classification System (MLCCS), the vacant parcel is considered 'Dry Grassland'. There are no wetlands or floodplains on either parcel. Landscape Plan The Landscape Plan includes a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees (American Elm, White Oak, and Black Hills Spruce). Based on the Canopy Cover Formula, a total of 34,386 square feet of canopy is required. The proposed plantings account for 17,172 square feet of canopy cover, while the remainder of the required canopy cover will be satisfied with existing landscaping (a combination of maple, linden, black hills spruce, Norway spruce, and crabapple). All species and sizes are acceptable. The disturbed areas that will not be improved with impervious surfacing will receive the required four (4) inches of topsoil and will be seeded with a southern boulevard low-maintenance turf mix. However, the lower portions and the bottom of the stormwater basin (across Azurite Street) will be seeded with a wet ditch seed mix due to the periodic mesic conditions. Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan The submittal did include a Tree Inventory and Preservation Plan that indicates only 12% of the significant tree DBH inches will be preserved on site. However, once the Siberian Elms, which are an invasive species and therefore exempt from the tree removal calculation, are tabulated, the amount of significant tree DBH inches being saved will likely increase. Staff has requested various corrections to the inventory (such as tabulating the number of DBH inches for invasive species and asking if any of the existing landscape trees meet the definition of significant tree, which would also impact [in a positive way] the percentage of DBH inches saved on site) that